LeBron James’ Frugal Confession Sparks Frenzy After 2 Exclusive Flaunts

“He’s savvy. He’s smart about financial matters. It’s amazing to me the maturity he exhibits” said Warren Buffett once about LeBron James. A far better review than when his former teammate, Dwyane Wade, called him ‘cheap’. Nevertheless, there is no denying that over the years, LeBron James has cultivated an image of being ‘frugal.’. Hard to keep that maintained when you are the only active Billionaire player in NBA history, and 1 out of 4 to have hit that mark, but he somehow does it. As a recent revelation told us, however, a reason for the player’s frugality might be the fact that he wears his own promoted stuff, which, for others, would cost more than a fortune.

LeBron James was one of many NBA stars who turned up at the recent ‘2025 Fanatics Fest’ held in New York City. He participated in many interviews with content creators during the event, including one with short-form content creator Chris Smoove, who boasts over 474,000 followers on Instagram. As LeBron was in a golf cart heading somewhere within the event premises, Smoove asked him about the price of the items he was wearing.

Surprisingly, everything from his ‘Uninterrupted’ Hat to his chain, and from his watch to his T-shirt was FREE! Even the Jeans and his Nikes were free! Saying ‘free’ again and again allowed the NBA player to drop the perfect line: “If it’s free, it’s for me”.

Unfortunately, all this stuff is only free for LeBron James. The money spent on getting everything from LeBron’s attire could be better spent on buying a house, for majority of the people. Remember those Nikes LeBron was wearing in the video? They were an exclusive pair of the LeBron x Nike Air Force 1s. The same hasn’t been made available to the public yet. However, given how the price of these shoes can range between $166.92 to $448, acquiring them would put a strain on one’s wallet.

However, the most shocking thing that LeBron was wearing, which he got for ‘free’ was a Richard Mille wristwatch. Not just any watch, but the RM 65-01 Automatic Split-Seconds Chronograph. Featuring eye-catching details in Lakers colors, there are reportedly only 150 of these made by the Swiss watchmaking brand. Want to hear the jaw-dropper? The price of these watches ranges between $350,000 and $500,000. Yeah, you would be better off buying a nice house for that price.

The ‘free’ talk might have won over many. However, this still left others to highlight the reality of the situation.

NBA Fans raise doubt on LeBron James’ ‘free items’: “it’s his own brand”

One social media user heard LeBron James’ interaction with Chris Smoove, and simply wrote, “Well it’s his own brand so that doesn’t surprise me”.

Well, Nike and Richard Mille are not LeBron James’ brands. However, he has shared a long partnership with both of them. LeBron James is only 1 out of 3 NBA players, after Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant, who have a lifetime deal with Nike. While the exact financial details of the 2015 deal were not revealed, LeBron’s longtime business manager, Maverick Carter, said it will pay the player out at least $1 billion. With that kind of deal, LeBron doesn’t have to spend money on the shoes carrying his name now, does he?

One individual wrote, “500k watch for free😭😭😭”. Once again, LeBron James’ partnership with Richard Mille entitles him to get access to watches that have been created by partnering up with him. A nice addition to the NBA All-Time Scorer’s famed watch collection that includes big names, ranging from a Richard Mille RM 11-03 NTPT Carbon, to a Cartier Crash Skeleton.

One social media user wrote “That shit ain’t free, he just has equity in all them brands and they send that shit to him as a part of his dividends 🤣”. Even if true, the ‘stuff’ LeBron James receives does not affect his current net worth. He does not have to pay out of pocket from the money he has already earned. Therefore, it is a win-win for him.

One individual wrote, “They are given free stuff so they we can buy it”. Well, that is how sponsorships and endorsements work. Even if you might have missed that lesson in a typical business class, watching that Ben Kingsley episode in ‘The Sopranos’ would open one’s eyes to the way the world works.

One social media user wrote, “A free Richard is crazy 😭”. Yes well, that is still one fact we will continue recovering from, and not willing to accept anytime soon. Overall, the majority of reactions highlighted not fully believing LeBron James’ ‘frugal’ personality, given the Nikes and the watch he had donned.

Then again, if all he wears is the branded stuff he is the sponsor for, we can only be in more awe of ‘King James’.